RELATIVES SAY LATEST COURT BID HAS REOPENED PAIN AFTER FOUR DEATHS ON WESTERN CLEDDAU

THE FAMILIES of victims of the Haverfordwest paddleboarding tragedy have spoken of their anger after the woman jailed over four deaths failed in a bid to challenge her sentence.

Nerys Bethan Lloyd, 41, from Port Talbot, was jailed for 10 years and six months after admitting gross negligence manslaughter following the deaths of Paul O’Dwyer, Andrea Powell, Morgan Rogers and Nicola Wheatley.

The four died after a paddleboarding trip on the Western Cleddau in Haverfordwest went disastrously wrong on October 30, 2021.

Three Court of Appeal judges rejected arguments that Lloyd’s sentence was “manifestly excessive”.

The failed appeal has now prompted fresh criticism from grieving families, who say they have been forced to relive the tragedy again.

Morgan Rogers’ mother, Teresa Hall, said Lloyd should “leave the families in peace”, adding that those who lost loved ones were serving “life sentences” of their own.

Nicola Wheatley’s husband, Darren, said he broke down when the appeal was rejected, describing the decision as a moment of relief after another agonising legal hearing.

The tragedy happened during a commercial paddleboarding tour from Haverfordwest towards Burton Ferry. The group encountered the town weir in dangerous river conditions, with several participants becoming trapped in the powerful hydraulic towback.

A Marine Accident Investigation Branch report later found the deaths were “tragic and avoidable”, highlighting failures in planning, risk assessment, safety briefings, equipment and awareness of the danger posed by the weir.

At sentencing, the court heard Lloyd had failed to produce a written risk assessment for the trip and that the group had not been properly warned about the weir.

The case remains one of Pembrokeshire’s most devastating modern tragedies, with the deaths sending shockwaves through Haverfordwest and across Wales.

Lloyd remains in custody following the failed appeal bid.

KEMI BADENOCH has called for the abolition of the legal duty requiring public bodies to consider equality when making decisions.

The Conservative leader said the Public Sector Equality Duty had become a burden on schools, hospitals, police forces and councils, claiming it had allowed “dangerous and divisive agendas” to take hold across public services.

The duty, introduced under the Equality Act 2010, applies to public authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. It requires them to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between people with and without protected characteristics.

Those protected characteristics include age, disability, race, sex, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, and sexual orientation.

Badenoch said the duty had created a “minefield” around public decision-making, leaving major decisions vulnerable to legal challenge.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday morning, she said the public sector aspect of the Act had failed to allow for “common sense”.

She said people in public services had become scared to do their jobs properly “in case they were called racist”.

The Conservatives say the proposal is part of a wider programme to “restore common sense” in public life. The party argues that the equality duty has encouraged diversity, equality and inclusion bureaucracy, ideological box-ticking, and confusion within public services.

Shadow equalities minister Claire Coutinho said public bodies were increasingly “obsessing” over equality rather than focusing on their core duties.

She said police officers, in particular, were being forced to make difficult decisions while navigating equality guidance that could cloud their judgement.

Haverfordwest

Badenoch also referred to a number of high-profile cases, including the Nottingham attacks carried out by Valdo Calocane, the fatal stabbing of an 18-year-old Henry Nowak in Southampton by Vickrum Digwa, and the Manchester Arena bombing carried out by Salman Abedi.

Calocane, who killed three people in Nottingham in June 2023, has strong links to Pembrokeshire. He was from Haverfordwest, attended Sir Thomas Picton School, now Haverfordwest High VC School, and his parents still believed to live in the town.

The case remains highly sensitive, with previous criticism focused on police and health service failings in the lead-up to the killings. Badenoch suggested such cases had fuelled concerns that frontline agencies had become too cautious in exercising judgement for fear of accusations of discrimination.

Badenoch was also in Pembrokeshire last month, visiting Pembroke Refinery, where she spoke to The Herald about the upcoming Senedd elections.

Political divide

The Equality and Human Rights Commission defended the duty, saying it helps public bodies make better decisions by considering the impact of their actions on all those affected.

The issue has become a dividing line between the main political parties. Reform UK has said the Conservatives are not going far enough, arguing that the Equality Act itself should be scrapped.

The Liberal Democrats accused Badenoch of trying to reignite culture war politics, while Labour is preparing to publish a new equality and diversity strategy focused heavily on class and socio-economic background.

The government says its plan will aim to improve access to the civil service for people from working-class and regional backgrounds, and address the over-representation of people from wealthier families in senior public roles.

The Public Sector Equality Duty has previously been used in legal challenges against councils and government departments, including cases involving library closures, care home fees, and the Home Office’s treatment of the Windrush generation.

FREE LIFE-SAVING SESSIONS AVAILABLE ACROSS THE REGION

A CARMARTHENSHIRE-based training company is offering free first aid awareness talks to community groups across West Wales.

Pinnacle Workforce Training Ltd, founded by trainer and health and social care professional Andrew James-Deakin, is inviting organisations including Women’s Institutes, U3A groups, Rotary Clubs, Probus Clubs, churches, charities and community groups to book an interactive presentation.

The session, titled Could You Save a Life? Practical First Aid for Everyday Emergencies, covers CPR awareness, defibrillator use, choking, stroke recognition, heart attack awareness, burns and scalds, falls, seizures and anaphylaxis.

Andrew, who has more than 25 years’ experience in training, assessment, quality assurance, leadership and health and social care, said: “Many people worry that they would not know what to do if someone collapsed, suffered a stroke, had a heart attack or started choking.

“These talks are designed to give people confidence and practical knowledge that could make a real difference while waiting for professional help to arrive.”

The sessions are designed to be informative, engaging and interactive, giving participants practical knowledge that could help them support family members, friends, colleagues or members of the public during an emergency.

As part of a community introduction programme, Pinnacle Workforce Training Ltd is currently offering the talks free of charge.

Organisations within 20 miles of Llanelli can book a session at no cost, while groups further afield are only asked to cover travel expenses.

Andrew added: “One of the aims of Pinnacle Workforce Training is to support local communities by making valuable skills and knowledge accessible to as many people as possible.

“If even one person leaves a session feeling more confident to help in an emergency, it will have been worthwhile.”

Community organisations interested in arranging a talk can contact Andrew James-Deakin on 07364 138827 or email [email protected].

Andrew James-Deakin: Director of Pinnacle Workforce Training Ltd, pictured on the River Towy footbridge in Carmarthen (Pic: Supplied).